Masters abroad: how to enroll and get a scholarship?
About the author: A graduate of the Higher School of Economics, currently working on a project on the Semantic Web at the Institute. Leibniz and studies at the University of Mannheim, Germany with a DAAD postgraduate scholarship
This article is a kind of FAQ (suitable for non-IT professionals), which contains answers to basic questions about getting abroad and getting scholarships, suggesting a strong desire, but a limited amount of financial resources from the student. The main goal is to correctly direct capable people. The information presented concerns, above all, the magistracy (MA / MSc), but much, with some reservations, also applies to graduate school (PhD). So:
Why study abroad?
The answer to this question is any authoritative international ranking of universities. In addition, the experience of living in another country is always interesting and useful, both in terms of personal and in terms of possible career growth.
How to choose a university?
First of all, when choosing a university, it is necessary to make sure that the quality of education there will be much higher than the domestic one, and that you have good prospects for its completion. I would recommend to start from the specialty you are interested in and look at the faculties and schools that are in the top 20-200 in the world, depending on your ambitions. In addition, of course, you need to take into account your preferences for the country and language of instruction, as well as the possibility of financing the program. In any case, it must be remembered that studying abroad should not be an end in itself.
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Can I afford it?
Theoretically, everyone can afford to study abroad . In many countries, higher education is free (or almost free) for foreign citizens, and a study visa provides an opportunity to work. In addition, there are hundreds of options for various scholarships and grants, allowing you to not even think about financial issues during training. It all depends on your abilities and even more on your desire and perseverance.
What degree is most realistic to get abroad?
Obtaining a first bachelor's degree is complicated by the fact that instruction is often conducted in the national language. In English-speaking countries, as a rule, undergraduate studies are expensive, and funding opportunities are minimal. Therefore, the most optimal option is to get the first degree in the Homeland and continue studying (for a master’s or doctor’s degree) abroad . However, different countries have their own nuances. So, in the USA, there are practically no free magistracies, at the same time, graduate students, for teaching and research (teaching and research assistantship), on the contrary, pay an additional stipend. It is not difficult to enroll in a decent free magistracy in France or Germany, even for an average student , but only the most outstanding scholarships.
How to enter and get a scholarship?
In order to enter a prestigious magistracy and / or receive a scholarship it is not necessary to be a genius. But, by the time you apply, you should have a set of specific skills, experience and knowledge to characterize you as an outstanding student (top 10%). You must have a high average score (at least 4.5), excellent knowledge of English (TOEFL iBT> 90) and optionally another language of instruction, work experience in the specialty, participation in conferences, publications, other successful extracurricular activities. Since grades are often not the main selection criteria, even if you “woke up” in the last year, you still have a chance. As practice shows, work experience, conferences, publications, and even knowledge of a language can be obtained in a year or even with a strong desire in six months.
I have a strong desire, but I do not fit the criteria and am not confident in my abilities. Should I try to do?
Yes, but not immediately. Admission to foreign universities is quite a costly affair. At a minimum, you always need to translate and notarize documents (certificates, diplomas), send documents by urgent mail, and sometimes even pay the university for the selection procedure itself. Therefore, if you are not confident in yourself, then it is better not to submit immediately after receiving the diploma, but first try to catch up. For American and European students, for example, the practice of “taking a year off” is very common.
Suppose I fit the criteria. What is my chance to do and get a scholarship?
The competition for the best programs and the majority of scholarships is very large, so even if you are an extremely outstanding student, the chance will never be absolute . There is always some chance. Therefore, there is only one way out - to submit documents for five to ten desired programs at the same time, while having several backup options.
What are scholarships?
First of all, scholarships differ in the source of their funding: scholarships are national, university and other private funds. In addition, scholarships can be divided into universal (international) and aimed at a specific social or national group. In the end - scholarships can be awarded according to merit or financial need. In addition to the latter type of scholarship (which is not considered here), the application process for other types is fundamentally no different.
Another scholarship division is related to their size. Scholarships may cover only part of the tuition fee (partial tuition waiver), the entire tuition fee (full tuition waiver) and, most interestingly, the entire tuition fee and accommodation / subsistence / insurance, which is usually expressed as a sum of money transferred monthly. The amount depends on the specific program and usually ranges from 500 to 2000 euros (graduate students are always given more).
What is the application procedure?
It is important that in most cases you do not need to pass any exams. Your application consists of a certain number of required documents, based on the results of the selection of which a decision will be made on your enrollment (or receipt of a scholarship). Recently, in Russia, a similar practice has begun to spread under the name “portfolio competition”.
What documents are included in the application?
This is usually notarized copies + translations of diplomas and applications, language certificate (TOEFL, IELTS), a motivation letter and / or a statement of scientific intent (research proposal), resume (CV), an example of written work. Graduate students may still need a GRE test certificate that tests verbal, analytical, and mathematical abilities.
***
Now that you have the basic information, you can start your search. Use Google, habrachelovek and Successes!
This article is a kind of FAQ (suitable for non-IT professionals), which contains answers to basic questions about getting abroad and getting scholarships, suggesting a strong desire, but a limited amount of financial resources from the student. The main goal is to correctly direct capable people. The information presented concerns, above all, the magistracy (MA / MSc), but much, with some reservations, also applies to graduate school (PhD). So:
Why study abroad?
The answer to this question is any authoritative international ranking of universities. In addition, the experience of living in another country is always interesting and useful, both in terms of personal and in terms of possible career growth.
How to choose a university?
First of all, when choosing a university, it is necessary to make sure that the quality of education there will be much higher than the domestic one, and that you have good prospects for its completion. I would recommend to start from the specialty you are interested in and look at the faculties and schools that are in the top 20-200 in the world, depending on your ambitions. In addition, of course, you need to take into account your preferences for the country and language of instruction, as well as the possibility of financing the program. In any case, it must be remembered that studying abroad should not be an end in itself.
')
Can I afford it?
Theoretically, everyone can afford to study abroad . In many countries, higher education is free (or almost free) for foreign citizens, and a study visa provides an opportunity to work. In addition, there are hundreds of options for various scholarships and grants, allowing you to not even think about financial issues during training. It all depends on your abilities and even more on your desire and perseverance.
What degree is most realistic to get abroad?
Obtaining a first bachelor's degree is complicated by the fact that instruction is often conducted in the national language. In English-speaking countries, as a rule, undergraduate studies are expensive, and funding opportunities are minimal. Therefore, the most optimal option is to get the first degree in the Homeland and continue studying (for a master’s or doctor’s degree) abroad . However, different countries have their own nuances. So, in the USA, there are practically no free magistracies, at the same time, graduate students, for teaching and research (teaching and research assistantship), on the contrary, pay an additional stipend. It is not difficult to enroll in a decent free magistracy in France or Germany, even for an average student , but only the most outstanding scholarships.
How to enter and get a scholarship?
In order to enter a prestigious magistracy and / or receive a scholarship it is not necessary to be a genius. But, by the time you apply, you should have a set of specific skills, experience and knowledge to characterize you as an outstanding student (top 10%). You must have a high average score (at least 4.5), excellent knowledge of English (TOEFL iBT> 90) and optionally another language of instruction, work experience in the specialty, participation in conferences, publications, other successful extracurricular activities. Since grades are often not the main selection criteria, even if you “woke up” in the last year, you still have a chance. As practice shows, work experience, conferences, publications, and even knowledge of a language can be obtained in a year or even with a strong desire in six months.
I have a strong desire, but I do not fit the criteria and am not confident in my abilities. Should I try to do?
Yes, but not immediately. Admission to foreign universities is quite a costly affair. At a minimum, you always need to translate and notarize documents (certificates, diplomas), send documents by urgent mail, and sometimes even pay the university for the selection procedure itself. Therefore, if you are not confident in yourself, then it is better not to submit immediately after receiving the diploma, but first try to catch up. For American and European students, for example, the practice of “taking a year off” is very common.
Suppose I fit the criteria. What is my chance to do and get a scholarship?
The competition for the best programs and the majority of scholarships is very large, so even if you are an extremely outstanding student, the chance will never be absolute . There is always some chance. Therefore, there is only one way out - to submit documents for five to ten desired programs at the same time, while having several backup options.
What are scholarships?
First of all, scholarships differ in the source of their funding: scholarships are national, university and other private funds. In addition, scholarships can be divided into universal (international) and aimed at a specific social or national group. In the end - scholarships can be awarded according to merit or financial need. In addition to the latter type of scholarship (which is not considered here), the application process for other types is fundamentally no different.
Another scholarship division is related to their size. Scholarships may cover only part of the tuition fee (partial tuition waiver), the entire tuition fee (full tuition waiver) and, most interestingly, the entire tuition fee and accommodation / subsistence / insurance, which is usually expressed as a sum of money transferred monthly. The amount depends on the specific program and usually ranges from 500 to 2000 euros (graduate students are always given more).
What is the application procedure?
It is important that in most cases you do not need to pass any exams. Your application consists of a certain number of required documents, based on the results of the selection of which a decision will be made on your enrollment (or receipt of a scholarship). Recently, in Russia, a similar practice has begun to spread under the name “portfolio competition”.
What documents are included in the application?
This is usually notarized copies + translations of diplomas and applications, language certificate (TOEFL, IELTS), a motivation letter and / or a statement of scientific intent (research proposal), resume (CV), an example of written work. Graduate students may still need a GRE test certificate that tests verbal, analytical, and mathematical abilities.
***
Now that you have the basic information, you can start your search. Use Google, habrachelovek and Successes!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/139992/
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